Telangana Agriculture and Marketing Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao has directed officials to ensure timely cotton procurement during the 2026–27 kharif marketing season, with a focus on protecting farmers' interests and ensuring minimum support prices (MSP).

During a review meeting at the Secretariat on October 22, the Minister instructed the Marketing Department to establish procurement centres in line with last year's arrangements. He also called for prompt action to prevent procurement delays and respond to changing market conditions.

Officials reviewed cotton cultivation, production estimates, prevailing market prices and procurement arrangements managed by the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI). The Minister emphasised the need to provide farmers with remunerative prices and efficient procurement services.

According to officials, cotton was cultivated across 48.20 lakh acres in Telangana during the current kharif season, with production estimated at 29.43 lakh metric tonnes. In the previous season, cultivation covered 50.73 lakh acres, while production stood at 28.33 lakh metric tonnes. Despite the decline in cultivated area, the current season's production estimate is higher.

Nageswara Rao also expressed concern about potential crop losses caused by adverse weather conditions, including the effects of El Niño. He stressed the importance of effective procurement planning to safeguard farmers against production and market uncertainties.

The Union government has fixed the cotton MSP at ₹8,667 per quintal for the 2026–27 kharif marketing season. Meanwhile, the prevailing modal market price in Telangana was reported at approximately ₹9,000 per quintal, which is ₹333 above the MSP.

The Minister urged officials to ensure adequate procurement facilities and implement timely measures to protect farmers' incomes. The procurement arrangements are expected to play an important role in supporting Telangana's cotton growers and maintaining a steady supply of raw cotton to the textile industry.